Tuesday, 22 May 2012


When you use a computer you may encounter several problems on hardware or software side. Before you call an expert computer technician here are tips to help resolve / trouble shoot the problems by yourself, and the tools are Free!

Help Screen:
If you are using windows operating system, you can access most troubleshooting tips on help menu by going to start menu then look for Help and Support. You can also access Windows Help and Support any time you open a folder by clicking Help menu button near Tools. You can access the Help and Support by pressing F1, when a folder or My computer is open.
When you click that it will take you to a window for different topics, go to search space and write your particular problem and windows will suggest explanation for your problem.

Windows help screen, may not only help you to troubleshoot your problem by giving you directions on possible approach you should follow, but may also be used to learn tricks and techniques on using windows. For instance, you can learn Key board Short cuts, You can learn how to Tile windows Vertically or Horizontally, or How to Create an Album of your photos on the computer.

You may wonder what a collection of notes you can make from such help topics; you may even print and read while you off your computer!

Help Screen on Application Programs:

When you open an application program you will see a menu text Help, click there or simply press F1 and the program will take you to Help Screen where you can type search the problem you have or something that you want to do but you forgot how to do it.


Online Tutorials:
With access to internet you can read online or print explanation on how to perform certain tasks on your computer.
Just go to Google and type your search, eg How to create a video on YouTube

Online Troubleshooting Tips:

You can access a number of troubles shooting websites that can outline useful tips for you to solve your particular problem. Just go to Google and type your particular problem. Example of the websites to help you :  

Manufacturer’s Manual:

When you buy hardware don’t throw away the manual. Keep it in case; you have a problem you can read. Most hardware manufacturers write few tips on trouble shooting in the manuals accompanying the hardware.
It is very important to read all safety guides and procedures on assembling or connecting a particular hardware, because failure to do so may result into a problem in the future that would be avoided simply by following Manufacturer’s guidelines.

Manufacturer and Developer’s website:

I recommend that whenever you have a technical problem or need a guide on how to use hardware or software the first place you should seek assistance is from the website of the item’s manufacture or Software Company because these people know the best a particular item, computer or software package that you need information about.

If the manufacture and developer have no immediate answer to a particular, they would normally suggest you visit a Community or Forum. Community/Forum is a site where different users share their opinions, experiences or solutions on different subjects related to a software or hardware.

You can type search your question in the forum or community or read similar problem as contributed by other people. 

You can download necessary drivers and troubleshooting directions from Manufacturer's website.